Recovering the Hymns

Recently, I took a team of teenagers on a mission trip to Baltimore, MD. During this week, I got to spend time with the teens from my church and get to know them. Two of them really enjoyed talking about music so I shared some of my own musical interests. I shared one song in particular, “Doxology” performed by The Northern Conspiracy, a Seattle worship band for Mars Hill Church. Both of the teens loved the song, though they had never heard it before.

Now the song “Doxology” is definitely not new. The lyrics are likely to be sung in hundreds of churches on any given Sunday.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Two things are striking about my conversation with these teens. The first is that they had never heard the song. This was not my first encounter with teenagers who have never been exposed to some more traditional worship music. While it is not surprising, it is an unfortunate trend.

The second thing is that despite the fact that the two teens did not know the song, they were very interested in it because of the modern arrangement. The creativity of the music enhanced and did not step in the way of the words.

It is a tragedy that these teens have missed out on the deep, theologically rich hymns of previous generations. But I am encouraged that they are open to hymns. And the exciting thing is that there are many groups like those at Mars Hill in Seattle or Louisville, Kentucky’s Sojourn Music that have contextualized the great hymns of the past with more current musical styles. Hopefully, this will become another avenue by which to share biblical truth in a way that ignites a holy affection in the hearts of an upcoming generation.

Note: The song “Doxology” which was performed by The Northern Conspiracy can be bought and downloaded here.

Published by Eddy Barnes

Eddy Barnes a husband, father, and the youth pastor at Grace Covenant Church.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *